Boxing day 2006 was my first real earthquake experience. It was yesterday evening and I was just chatting to family and friends on Meebo, when the studio room that are living in started swaying more than shaking from side to side. We have long floor to ceiling curtains that cover the doors to the balcony and those were swaying with the motion of the building.
When the first shock came we were not suitable dressed to exit the building, so we panicked and scrambled around for some clothes to wear. We then sort of half carried on watching TV and tried to continue chatting on the Internet, when the second shock came, which to me sounded like a truck going by. In fact I asked my wife if it was just just that, she looked at me and said that it seems to be; then the building started to sway again and we decided to exit the building.
Standing outside all appeared to be normal with people milling around and scooters whizzing by as normal. We stood around outside on the sidewalk for about ten minutes then decided that we should go back in. Actually the earthquake more than being scary just seems to make you feel a bit queasy and disorientated from the swaying building.
According to the TV news reports this morning the earthquake was way down in the south of the island in a place called Hengchun and we are living more or less in the centre in Taichung. Taichung was more or less at the epicentre of last big earthquake in Taiwan in 1999, when about 2000 people died.
They also reported that some buildings are down in the Hengchun area and showed some fire fighters trying to escape from a gas fire on the 1st floor balcony of a building. They also reported that there are two people dead and forty eight injured.
Check the BBC report for more information.
27 Dec 2006
10 Dec 2006
Arrived in Taipei
Leaving China into Macau, Hong Kong or Taipei always feels to me that I have arrived back into civilisation, where people are relaxed and can smile easily when they greet you. China is a tough place and the majority of Chinese have a tough life that is for sure, but I am not sure that is an excuse for a bad attitude. There are many that suffer a hard life in this world, but can still manage a smile for a stranger.
In order to get to Taipei our journey had to pass through Macau, even just arriving at the airport in Macau it is possible to feel the stress lift. Suddenly one feels dirty and miserable after exiting China mainland and into one of China's satellite alternative environments. Greeted by smiling faces and a friendly service our spirits started to normalise.
My wife accidentally left her bag at the security check point at Macau airport and received friendly and efficient service in order to retrieve it, I am not sure that we would have seen it again if the same situation happened in China, or she would have simply been treated with contempt as they reluctantly moved to help out.
Landing at Taipei airport was for me a kind of second homecoming, after all Taiwan is now my second country, ha! Smiles greeted us here too and I think that we both felt relieved to back on familiar territory.
We boarded the bus for Taichung and I sat there gazing out of the window watching the city turn to countryside as we headed home. We sped by green hills with small farming villages dotted around and not a smoke stack in sight. Also, being a blue sky day, suddenly Taiwan felt very comfortable indeed!
In order to get to Taipei our journey had to pass through Macau, even just arriving at the airport in Macau it is possible to feel the stress lift. Suddenly one feels dirty and miserable after exiting China mainland and into one of China's satellite alternative environments. Greeted by smiling faces and a friendly service our spirits started to normalise.
My wife accidentally left her bag at the security check point at Macau airport and received friendly and efficient service in order to retrieve it, I am not sure that we would have seen it again if the same situation happened in China, or she would have simply been treated with contempt as they reluctantly moved to help out.
Landing at Taipei airport was for me a kind of second homecoming, after all Taiwan is now my second country, ha! Smiles greeted us here too and I think that we both felt relieved to back on familiar territory.
We boarded the bus for Taichung and I sat there gazing out of the window watching the city turn to countryside as we headed home. We sped by green hills with small farming villages dotted around and not a smoke stack in sight. Also, being a blue sky day, suddenly Taiwan felt very comfortable indeed!
8 Dec 2006
The highlight of Suzhou
The highlight of of Suzhou for us was a visit to one of the famous traditional gardens. We only managed to get there because we had an extra day available after bungled escape plan. We had booked a flight out of Suzhou to Taipei via Macau and at the time of payment to boss of the small flight centre in the hotel agreed to deposit our "e-tickets" at the front desk, but when we arrived back later to collect the tickets, they were not there. So what to do? The flight was from Wuxi airport at 8:45 a.m. and the fight centre did not open again 'til 8:00 a.m. and the airport was a one hour drive from Suzhou city! Because we thought that we were to be issued e-tickets we decided to take a chance and make it to the airport, but you guessed it, when we got there there they wouldn't let us board, shit! And we have no money to get back to the hotel, argh!
By this time my wife was up for a fight and called to boss of the flight centre demanding that they compensate for the mistake; after much negotiation they agreed to pay for a cab back and an extra night in the hotel. My wife is a master negotiator!
That is how we got our extra day to see the Suzhou garden, which was a very interesting experience and cannot begin to explain a traditional Chinese garden with my limited writing skills and the photos we have cannot be published to date, because of technological limitations. But, you can take a look at someone else's photos here, many thanks to that photographer for allowing us to appreciate the beauty of Suzhou's gardens.
As for Wuxi airport it sits on the outskirts of Wuxi city, which isn't really a city at all, but is new huge industrial area that sits in the middle of farming land, with pretty farming houses all around. No doubt a full blown city will appear out of the countryside over the next decade and the area will become unrecognisable from today's appearance.
By this time my wife was up for a fight and called to boss of the flight centre demanding that they compensate for the mistake; after much negotiation they agreed to pay for a cab back and an extra night in the hotel. My wife is a master negotiator!
That is how we got our extra day to see the Suzhou garden, which was a very interesting experience and cannot begin to explain a traditional Chinese garden with my limited writing skills and the photos we have cannot be published to date, because of technological limitations. But, you can take a look at someone else's photos here, many thanks to that photographer for allowing us to appreciate the beauty of Suzhou's gardens.
As for Wuxi airport it sits on the outskirts of Wuxi city, which isn't really a city at all, but is new huge industrial area that sits in the middle of farming land, with pretty farming houses all around. No doubt a full blown city will appear out of the countryside over the next decade and the area will become unrecognisable from today's appearance.
7 Dec 2006
Arrived in Suzhou
We were off the bus with our two backpacks and two heavy suitcases and rushed through to the exit of the North Bus Station by the throng of people heading out, only to be met by beggars and taxi drivers all plying their trade amongst the maelstrom of people, noise and dust. We dragged our cases across the pot-holed street to the taxi rank. I asked a taxi driver if he could take us to the city centre, he glared and tutted and looked away as if disgusted at my impertinence. We discovered soon after that we had too many bags to go in regular taxi and we had to ride in kind of mini-bread van, but my wife manged to pursuade a larger taxi to take us.
During the joy ride through the manic streets with cars honking and breaking every rule in the good drivers conduct book, my wife asked the taxi driver to take us to the centre of the city where we could find a cheap hotel, he dropped us off in a dodgy part of the city at door of an expensive hotel. We registered and went to the room for a deserved sit down, we looked at each as if to say-where the hell do we go from here?
During the joy ride through the manic streets with cars honking and breaking every rule in the good drivers conduct book, my wife asked the taxi driver to take us to the centre of the city where we could find a cheap hotel, he dropped us off in a dodgy part of the city at door of an expensive hotel. We registered and went to the room for a deserved sit down, we looked at each as if to say-where the hell do we go from here?
6 Dec 2006
And then the smog came down
The last evening in Hangzhou was not so pleasant. We had discussed everyday as to why the sky was so grey over the city, yes it was misty, but the clouds looked darker than any grey days that I had seen in London. Then around five in the afternoon, just as it was getting dark it was as if the whole sky turned black and the fog came down and we completely surrounded by smog, I could barely breath! I have seen and heard reports about China's air pollution problems from using coal to fuel their power stations, but you have to experience it at first hand to really understand how bad it is. It is said that Hangzhou is one of China's more advanced and cleaner cities, well I would hate to have to experience one of the bad cities like Wuhan or Chongqing!
That is when we decided to try to escape to Suzhou. In the morning we packed our bags and caught a taxi to the bus station and rode the bus 80 miles to Suzhou city.
That is when we decided to try to escape to Suzhou. In the morning we packed our bags and caught a taxi to the bus station and rode the bus 80 miles to Suzhou city.
The Tea House
The second experience was much more pleasant, at the junction of Rising Phoenix Road and the North Section of National Reconstruction Road, stood a building that combined three businesses displayed in neon Chinese characters across the roof line.
One was the very smokey and unpleasant Internet gaming room (where hacking and spitting are considered normal), the other was some kind of casino which we didn't visit and finally there was the Tea House.
We entered the Tea House via the lift and were greeted by six young women dressed in pretty silk Qipao lined up on each side of the entrance way, who shouted excitedly in unison "Huan Ying Guan Lin" (which means something like "Welcome you to come in and take a look"). This actually made my wife laugh out loud, not because they said anything funny, but because, as she later told me, she couldn't believe that they employ six people just to greet people into the restaurant. We had noticed already that Chinese stores and restaurants seem to employ two or three times the amount of staff than you may see in London or Taichung. I guess this is a reflection on how cheap labour still is in China.
Anyway, we were shown to the table and we sat down in what was now proving to be quite a pleasant environment. The Tea House was decorated in a modern design, but still capturing the essence of a traditional Chinese garden tea house-that is with bridge like structures between sections, water, pebbles and bamboo used to compliment and enhance the atmosphere.
The most interesting feature for me was the small shrine, on the walkway to the buffet area, complete with three large statues of glistening painted porcelain gods looking more gruesome that endearing, fruit offerings, music and burning incense. All these features have been installed to create and authentic atmosphere, much like the the themed pubs we have in the UK, I guess.
As we sat down and made ourselves comfortable the tea heater was placed at the side of our table, and clear glass tea pot placed on top. We ordered a local tea grown in the hills around the lake, which was actually the most amazing tea that I've ever tasted. The tea actually changes flavour as you drink, it is difficult to describe, but when you first sip it has a slightly bitter woody taste and then moments later it turns to a sweet almost honey flavour in you mouth, quite extraordinary!!
The eats were also very enjoyable and matched the tea very well in flavour and style. I could spend much time describing each one, but for those that have eaten Dim Sum, you will understand a little, but I have to say it was much better than any Dim Sum I have tasted before.
We sat for an hour or so and indulged ourselves, we then paid the bill and ventured out again into the cold, misty darkness taking the most direct route back to the hotel.
These are the stark contrasts that make up life in modern China, in the same that you'll see glistening glass towers juxtaposed against old slum housing, or you will see the slick new Mercedes manoeuvre its way around the old guy pushing hard to make his creaking and rusting old bike move away from the lights; you can find the best and the worst eating experiences just a few doors from each other.
This is something that people living in China have to learn to live with and it doesn't look like it will get better anytime soon.
One was the very smokey and unpleasant Internet gaming room (where hacking and spitting are considered normal), the other was some kind of casino which we didn't visit and finally there was the Tea House.
We entered the Tea House via the lift and were greeted by six young women dressed in pretty silk Qipao lined up on each side of the entrance way, who shouted excitedly in unison "Huan Ying Guan Lin" (which means something like "Welcome you to come in and take a look"). This actually made my wife laugh out loud, not because they said anything funny, but because, as she later told me, she couldn't believe that they employ six people just to greet people into the restaurant. We had noticed already that Chinese stores and restaurants seem to employ two or three times the amount of staff than you may see in London or Taichung. I guess this is a reflection on how cheap labour still is in China.
Anyway, we were shown to the table and we sat down in what was now proving to be quite a pleasant environment. The Tea House was decorated in a modern design, but still capturing the essence of a traditional Chinese garden tea house-that is with bridge like structures between sections, water, pebbles and bamboo used to compliment and enhance the atmosphere.
The most interesting feature for me was the small shrine, on the walkway to the buffet area, complete with three large statues of glistening painted porcelain gods looking more gruesome that endearing, fruit offerings, music and burning incense. All these features have been installed to create and authentic atmosphere, much like the the themed pubs we have in the UK, I guess.
As we sat down and made ourselves comfortable the tea heater was placed at the side of our table, and clear glass tea pot placed on top. We ordered a local tea grown in the hills around the lake, which was actually the most amazing tea that I've ever tasted. The tea actually changes flavour as you drink, it is difficult to describe, but when you first sip it has a slightly bitter woody taste and then moments later it turns to a sweet almost honey flavour in you mouth, quite extraordinary!!
The eats were also very enjoyable and matched the tea very well in flavour and style. I could spend much time describing each one, but for those that have eaten Dim Sum, you will understand a little, but I have to say it was much better than any Dim Sum I have tasted before.
We sat for an hour or so and indulged ourselves, we then paid the bill and ventured out again into the cold, misty darkness taking the most direct route back to the hotel.
These are the stark contrasts that make up life in modern China, in the same that you'll see glistening glass towers juxtaposed against old slum housing, or you will see the slick new Mercedes manoeuvre its way around the old guy pushing hard to make his creaking and rusting old bike move away from the lights; you can find the best and the worst eating experiences just a few doors from each other.
This is something that people living in China have to learn to live with and it doesn't look like it will get better anytime soon.
5 Dec 2006
Chicken Head Curry!
Yes, I received the hot food with eager delight. I began to eat, first the rice and then some curry sauce, not too bad I thought. I tried to find some meat to eat, and discovered a piece that was a strange shape and it didn't twig at first what it was. I suddenly realised that it was a whole chicken's head-winking at me! Suddenly my appetite was lost, and could no longer eat with such vigour, in fact all the chicken related items in the curry were all those pieces that are chopped off during the preparation process to get at the more wholesome parts-they had given me the head, feet and butt, fantastic!
"Chicken Head Curry" highly recommended! We can give you the address if required!
"Chicken Head Curry" highly recommended! We can give you the address if required!
The best and worst in close proximity
The two most memorable eating experiences happened at either end of the now much trod Rising Phoenix Road.
We had spent the day once again looking at places to live that were value for money when we decided that the time to eat had come. It was already dark and cold and my wife noticed a chain store eatery that was (at least on the face of it) imported from Taiwan that is normally considered a reliable eat.
From the time I lived in China one of my favourite dishes was Chicken Curry and Rice (I am British remember) and with pleasant memories flooding back I resolutely went ahead and ordered my "favourite" dish...
We had spent the day once again looking at places to live that were value for money when we decided that the time to eat had come. It was already dark and cold and my wife noticed a chain store eatery that was (at least on the face of it) imported from Taiwan that is normally considered a reliable eat.
From the time I lived in China one of my favourite dishes was Chicken Curry and Rice (I am British remember) and with pleasant memories flooding back I resolutely went ahead and ordered my "favourite" dish...
4 Dec 2006
Meeting some new friends
Today we spent most of the day looking at apartments and discovered that Hangzhou is quite expensive from this point of view. Of course nothing compared to my native London, but more expensive than my wife's Taichung. Actually renting in Hangzhou is almost twice as expensive as Taiwan's Taichung and English teaching salaries are almost a third of that in Taichung, so on discovering that, we started to get more and more nervous about the viability of staying in that city.
We met up with some local foreigners in an "Irish Pub" (They sell Guiness and play the Pogues very loudly) and sat in the smoke filled bar for a couple of hours shouting at each other over Shane's dulcet poptones, such pleasantries!
What we did discover however that work opportunities are quite limited in Hangzhou and that Shanghai was the best place to search for work, but with rents being twice the cost of Hangzhou the viability of us being able to set ourselves up quickly and easily on a limited budget was rapidly becoming a remote possibility.
Back to the drawing board perhaps?
We met up with some local foreigners in an "Irish Pub" (They sell Guiness and play the Pogues very loudly) and sat in the smoke filled bar for a couple of hours shouting at each other over Shane's dulcet poptones, such pleasantries!
What we did discover however that work opportunities are quite limited in Hangzhou and that Shanghai was the best place to search for work, but with rents being twice the cost of Hangzhou the viability of us being able to set ourselves up quickly and easily on a limited budget was rapidly becoming a remote possibility.
Back to the drawing board perhaps?
3 Dec 2006
Arrived in Hangzhou
The main feature of Hangzhou is the famous West Lake and after arriving late on Friday evening (December 1st) we did not have a chance to take a look until Saturday. We woke early and after a food stop at a local breakfast store, walked the long distance down Rising Phoenix Road taking about 25 mins from the Holiday Inn finally arriving at the edge of the lake.
After chatting for a while with a local woman who was very keen to tell us where to buy a map and catch a bus to round the lake, we decided to just take a stroll around the edge and that is when we realised how big the lake is. That morning was quite misty and after our initial worries that the mist that hung over Hangzhou was actually mist and not smog as we had first suspected, my wife proceeded to take some pics of the fantastic vista. With water glistening star like into the distance and far off pagodas just visible through the mist on the surrounding hill tops we felt very satisfied that we had chosen this city as our destination.
We moved on and sat for a while along the edge of the lake in a small park, listening to birds sing in the trees and talked a little with my wife about her impression of West Lake. She told me that she had studied much about West Lake as a child, but had no impression as to why much poetry and prose had been written about it (she was taught that China was a dark and terrible place), suddenly all has fallen into place and she recalled some of those ancient stories. That was a very satisfying experience I think for the both of us.
Not knowing anything about the city or where to eat we decided to venture out from the hotel on our first evening in the city, it had grown dark and very cold. The street was wide, about 40 odd metres wide, in fact it turns out that this part of the city is criss-crossed with wide boulevards busy with cars and buses. Along each side of these city "highways" there are shared cycle lanes that are also used by riders of electric mopeds - yes, do you remember mopeds that can be pedalled when the going gets tough - that whizz silently by and weave in and out of all travelling slower. How green is that? actually road side air pollution is not too bad at all in Hangzhou!
We ventured into a local style eatery and ate handsomely for around 1 GBP for two, although not the cleanest eating experience it did not leave us feeling ill so we were happy with that. After that we went back to call a contact that we later met up with, she filled us in with some local information.
We made plans to meet up over the next few days to meet more "foreigners" living locally.
After chatting for a while with a local woman who was very keen to tell us where to buy a map and catch a bus to round the lake, we decided to just take a stroll around the edge and that is when we realised how big the lake is. That morning was quite misty and after our initial worries that the mist that hung over Hangzhou was actually mist and not smog as we had first suspected, my wife proceeded to take some pics of the fantastic vista. With water glistening star like into the distance and far off pagodas just visible through the mist on the surrounding hill tops we felt very satisfied that we had chosen this city as our destination.
We moved on and sat for a while along the edge of the lake in a small park, listening to birds sing in the trees and talked a little with my wife about her impression of West Lake. She told me that she had studied much about West Lake as a child, but had no impression as to why much poetry and prose had been written about it (she was taught that China was a dark and terrible place), suddenly all has fallen into place and she recalled some of those ancient stories. That was a very satisfying experience I think for the both of us.
Not knowing anything about the city or where to eat we decided to venture out from the hotel on our first evening in the city, it had grown dark and very cold. The street was wide, about 40 odd metres wide, in fact it turns out that this part of the city is criss-crossed with wide boulevards busy with cars and buses. Along each side of these city "highways" there are shared cycle lanes that are also used by riders of electric mopeds - yes, do you remember mopeds that can be pedalled when the going gets tough - that whizz silently by and weave in and out of all travelling slower. How green is that? actually road side air pollution is not too bad at all in Hangzhou!
We ventured into a local style eatery and ate handsomely for around 1 GBP for two, although not the cleanest eating experience it did not leave us feeling ill so we were happy with that. After that we went back to call a contact that we later met up with, she filled us in with some local information.
We made plans to meet up over the next few days to meet more "foreigners" living locally.
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